An American Commentary: Social
Problems That Changed America in the 21st Century

Paperback - 2014

by Silvio Laccetti

Sixty powerful short essays about major
social issues that are transforming America today. Each essay
is followed by a special commentary section. The total work is
a highly-objective reasoned - but startling - commentary on
modern American problems.

Silvio's columns have always added a
layer of humanity to the issues of the day, serving as a welcome
change of pace to the political machinations typically being
discussed in our op-ed pages. In discussing serious topics, he has
a knack for examining broader societal concerns in a concise
fashion that doesn't lose the interest of the reader, doing so
with anecdotes and other personal observations that bring these
issues closer to everyone's home.

- Keith Ryzewicz, editorial page editor,
Gannett New Jersey

Silvio Laccetti may be a professor, but
he doesn't write like one, and that's his strength. He uses simple
sentences and descriptive words. He proves his points with
concrete examples. He is a terrific storyteller; when I read his
op-ed piece on how less could be more at Christmas, I couldn't put
it down — I desperately needed to know where he was taking me. He
has a real sense for what concerns readers, whether it's the empty
handicapped parking spaces they pass on their way into the mall or
the violent video games entertaining their kids. There is nothing
esoteric about his work. And, like a good preacher, Laccetti comes
up with ideas readers can carry home. Writing about video games,
he proposes designing quests that encourage strategic thinking
toward moral, just and peaceful ends through concepts such as
mutual understanding, negotiation, compromise and peacemaking....
Say, how about developing an internet game called "Peace in the
Middle East?" I don't know if anyone's done that, but I know it's
a great idea, more relevant now than when the (Peoria, Ill.)
Journal Star published it eight years ago. When I was reading the
many potential op-ed pieces that passed through my hands each
week, few made me ignore the ringing phone the way Silvio
Laccetti's did. I figured our readers would do likewise.

Rare is the academic who can explain
complicated issues in a way the typical person one meets on the
street can understand and appreciate. Silvio Laccetti is one.
Strong, reasoned opinions, at times provocative, delivered
persuasively and civilly, with wit and intellect. Agree with him
or not, you will appreciate his powerful writing.

Silvio is a master craftsman of the
commentary. His essays approach events and trends with wisdom,
knowledge, enthusiasm, curiosity, creativity, and humor. Watching
adolescents play video games might lead him to reflect on the
nature of war and peace, while a busload of busted public
officials could have him examining the relationship between
corruption and civilization. Whenever I had the good fortune to
get a submission from him, I knew I could expect it to take the
topic and the readers in unexpected directions, drawing
illuminating connections and yielding gratifying insights.

Silvio Laccetti's work for The
Providence Journal over the years was always rigorously reported
and clearly - often charmingly - written. He would take a subject
of national interest - a public-policy issue or simply a situation
- and give it a regional spin without losing any of its broader,
even universal, importance. He is an elegant essayist. America
needs more writers like Silvio Laccetti!

- Robert Whitcomb, editorial-page editor of
The Providence Journal (1992-2013)

As reliable as the Good Housekeeping
seal of approval, the arrival by email of a story with Silvio
Laccetti's byline is, for me, an assurance of an engaging read
about life in New Jersey, life in America. Whether he is serving
up a prescription for the betterment of community - a merger, for
instance, of Grandparents Day with a program that teaches American
history to young children with voyages through local
neighborhoods; a proposal to create a senior council of
knowledgeable, retired individuals to oversee town projects in
order to rein in waste and combat mismanagement and corruption; or
an exploration of the ethics of entitlement, wealth and the
dignity of work - Laccetti provides sound research bolstered with
insightful anecdotes, sometimes with a splash of humor, to bring
depth and color to his essays. When an article by Laccetti appears
on our op-ed page, we know it'll be a well-read page that day.

- Peter Grad, op-ed page editor, The Record
of North Jersey

You can count on Silvio Laccetti to
find an intriguing perspective in almost any event, large or
small, and analyzing it with wit, insight and historical command.
His carefully crafted articles inform, entertain and surprise.

- Joe Guidry, opinion editor, The Tampa
Tribune

Laccetti accompanies us on fascinating
jaunts through America's social landscape. Entertained by his
quirky sense of humor, encouraged by his humanity and enlightened
by his deep understanding of our history, we start to notice
connections where just a moment before we saw disparity.

- Diana Groden, opinions pages editor, The
Times of Trenton

Most columnists are carried along by
the tide of current events, offering their "take" from some
tenuous vantage point, usually colored by class, politics and
economic interests. Silvio Laccetti's work, by pleasant contrast,
is grounded in a deep knowledge of history and solid grasp of
human nature. Whether his topic is the Middle East in turmoil, the
meaning of citizenship or the intricacies of the financial world,
he looks beyond the obvious and short-term. In a genial,
nonpartisan, yet passionate voice, he aims for a truer
understanding of our world than the mass media can offer. Agree or
disagree as you will, but make no mistake: Laccetti has done his
homework.

Throughout his career, and above
all else, Prof. Laccetti has stressed the importance and necessity
of critical thinking in his classes. Over the years, his students
have often noted this particular life-long legacy he gave to them.

That same spirit of inquiry
informed by reason is the hallmark of his editorial writing and is
suffused throughout his award-winning book.

The Eric Hoffer Award
Montaigne Medal Finalist

Each year, the Eric Hoffer Award
for books presents the Montaigne Medal to the most
thought-provoking book(s). These are books that either illuminate,
progress, or redirect thought. The Montaigne Medal is given in
honor of the great French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, who
influenced people such as William Shakespeare, René Descartes,
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
and Eric Hoffer. This is an additional distinction beneath the Eric
Hoffer Award umbrella.

An American Commentary presents a
unique perspective on fundamental problems changing America in a
changing world. Author Silvio Laccetti sees us at the start of a
new era in history, just as humanity was some 500 years ago at the
time of the Renaissance.

This compilation of 60 powerful
short essays probes the dynamics of a wide range of social issues
facing America today. After his critical analysis, Laccetti
proposes pathways to solve problems. And, each essay is followed by
a New Commentary section which updates each editorial and adds
unexpected, refreshing personal material as well.

Laccetti brings to this task all
his knowledge, insights and wisdom gained from a lifetime of
teaching and learning, scholarship and public policy making. His
talent is enhanced by an appreciation of the Classics and the
values that they have inspired and represented throughout the ages.
The result is a highly objective, reasoned - but startling -
commentary on inflammatory issues confronting our society. After
reading this book, the reader will look at the world in a different
way!

An American Commentary is a
must-read for any concerned American interested in the nature of
our social dilemmas. With tons of material tightly packed in each
essay, serious students of American History, Social Science,
American Studies and General Humanities will treasure this volume.
You will not forget An American Commentary. It will be a permanent
addition to your library and your thinking about America and the
future of the world.

About the Author

Dr. Silvio Laccetti

Silvio Laccetti began his
distinguished college teaching career in History and Social
Sciences at Stevens Tech. when he was just a few years older
than his senior students!

Over the decades, he has been
the recipient of numerous awards for teaching excellence,
including recognition by the Danforth Foundation and the
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

He has also received three
Outstanding Teacher Awards from Stevens. He has published four
books and countless articles, essays and editorials. Dr.
Laccetti is a Pulitzer prize nominee.

In his professional work, Professor
Laccetti has sought to enlarge the classroom experience by
creating teaching and learning opportunities with hands-on
internships in public service. These efforts have had local,
state and national impacts and a profound influence on his
students.

The author has also been a
consultant to business and industry, a civic organizer and a
public policy advocate both in New Jersey and nationally.

His editorial journalism is
tremendously enriched by these many endeavors and by the
expertise he has accumulated over a lifetime of achievement.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Section I: EDUCATION

Public School Systems Can Succeed (Blue-Collar Scholars)Math
Ability May Be Innate (Johnny Can't Do the Math)Learning
the Arts of War and Peace On Grammar School PlaygroundsCommencementCheating
in College (Diplomas With Dishonor)The Grade Inflation
Problem (Excess of Excellence)High Drop-Out Rates in
College (Ghosts at Graduation)Colleges Get a Failing
GradeNew Leadership ProgramsThe College of
the Future (The Pinnacle College)The Lost Art of
WritingAmerican History is Disappearing

Section II: AMERICAN CULTURE

The Heart of Christmas[My Generation Goes GoldOnline
Dating (Computer Cupid)The Homeless are Not HelplessAthletics
Can Create Real Heroes (Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?)Violence
and Video GamesState Lotteries: Like Candy for BabiesThe
Devolution of Language and Thought (Comspeak)American
Society is Advancing to a HaltIdentity Theft (Losing
My Identity in College)The Spirit of Appomattox: A
Healing Cure for Our Culture Wars

Section III: GLOBALISM

Realities and Myths of Globalism (The Triumph of Globalism is
Not Pre-Ordained)The Papacy in the Global AgeNew
Economic Thinking Required for Global LeadershipGlobalism
and the U.S. Manufacturing EconomyAmerica's Trade
Deficits (Little Steel Monuments, Big Trade Deficits)Globalization
of the Summer JobHawaii in Global Perspective
(Paradise Found, Lost and Bought)Libya at the
Crossroads of War and DiplomacyObama and the
Anti-Colonial IssueThe London Riots of 2011 (A
Midsummer Night's Madness)Occupy Wall Street and
Senior Citizen Activists

Section IV: ECONOMICS

The Rise and Fall of Millennial CapitalismHidden
InflationThere is No Legacy in LaborSavers
Need a BreakSavers' Side EconomicsEverybody
Wants Your MoneyThe Financial Collapse of 2008 (The
Little Mortgage that Could Destroy the Global Economy)CEO
SuperstarAre Bosses Kings and Queens?The
Nature of Poverty (Poverty is Relative, Wealth is Absolute)Tax
Day Perspectives on the Inequality of Wealth

Section V: POLITICS

War and PeacePolitical Corruption as Old as
CivilizationUnicameral Legislatures Can Cure Ills of
State GovernmentsCyber Politics and Celebrity (Obama
More Popular Than Jesus on the Web)An American
Resolution (Fixing America for 2009)The Future of
Citizenship in America (Immigrants Should Earn the Privileges
of Citizenship)Who Makes the Law in America?Swing-State
PresidencyReforming the Electoral CollegeCan
American Civilization Collapse?Lincoln's New Jersey
Connections

Section VI: 9/11

Everyone a SoldierLeadership in the Aftermath of 9/11Statesmen
of ScienceThe New OlympiansAmerica Needs
Volunteers